Pretty Rock Part IX
by Spaceman Bill
Summary: Dinobot clashes with the newcomer, and Fractyl creates some new toys.


Pretty Rock Part IX  
  
"I plan on being your first failure."  
  
Reaper swung his massive scythe down to Dinobot's head, but the warrior blocked the strike with his rotating shield. Dinobot's optic laser tore into Reaper's large, insectine eye, sending him screaming in pain.  
  
"I think not." Dinobot smirked.  
  
"Mongrel!" Reaper snarled, lunging for the robotic paladin. The two locked blades, hissing and growling at each other. Dinobot kicked the beast away, and rushed him.  
  
"Have at you." Reaper chuckled. He leaped to his four feet, snapping his claws.  
  
"Impressive! Your beast form has provided excellent armor!" Dinobot exclaimed. Reaper displayed a puzzled look.  
  
"What tricks are you playing?"  
  
"Do you not even know of your own beast mode?"  
  
"Of what do you speak?!"  
  
Dinobot shook his head. "You are a Transformer. You have multiple forms--each transformation activated by a voice code."  
  
"Such as?"  
  
"Beast mode!"  
  
Dinobot's parts shifted, his weapons sheathing and forming a tail. The velociraptor sneered. "Dinobot, maximize!"  
  
Again, he transformed, this time in reverse. "Now, you try."  
  
"Reaper, maximize!" Reaper shouted. Nothing happened. Dinobot's optics widened. Was Reaper a Predacon?  
  
"Some transformation." Reaper scowled.  
  
"Switch the word 'maximize,' with 'terrorize...'"  
  
Reaper sighed, and shouted the code once again, this time with Dinobot's advice. Suddenly, he felt his joints twisting and turning, his eyes blacking out and new ones opening. His massive scythes were still there, but attached to his back with his wings. He caught a glimpse of his reflection in the stasis pod's metal face.  
  
"Wha...what am I?"  
  
"You, Reaper, are a robot in disguise."  
  
***  
  
Fractyl grinned, examining his new creations. Though deactivated, they were still deadly.  
  
"You've outdone yourself, Fractyl."  
  
Fractyl looked up at the vent, greeted by a pair of red optics.  
  
"Mirage."  
  
"I'm honored you remember your old buddy." Mirage snickered.  
  
"You have no place here." Fractyl frowned. "You stole my emerald, and declared war on my leader."  
  
"Bah! You really think that--"  
  
"Just get out of here, Mirage. Now. And never return."  
  
"I...I understand. I hope to see you sometime, old friend."  
  
"I can't say the same."  
  
***  
  
Dinobot rapped on Optimus's door. The metal slid aside, revealing Optimus Primal.   
  
"Troubled, Dinobot?" He asked.  
  
Dinobot displayed an akward expression. "What do you know of a Cybertronian called Reaper?"  
  
Optimus frowned. "Why do you ask?"  
  
"Just curious, that's all." Dinobot lied.  
  
The Primal sighed. "Reaper was a Predacon criminal. Wanted on thirty-six accounts of murder. The Elders didn't know what punishment would be fitting. Termination seemed too good for him."  
  
"A skilled hunter," mumbled Dinobot.  
  
"One of the Elders--a sadistic one, at that--suggested we kill two birds with one stone."  
  
"Eh?"  
  
"At the same time, the debates on what to do with Protoform X were ending. Of course, a monster needs food, and what better than a mass murderer?"  
  
"So...." Dinobot trailed. "He was on the Axalon?"  
  
"Yes," sighed Optimus.  
  
"Thank you for your time." Dinobot said. "I must leave. I have...important work to do."  
  
***  
  
"...And I just didn't know who I could talk to about this sort of thing. So, can you help me?" Inferno pleaded.  
  
"Well, I reckon I can." Quickstrike replied. "Y'see, a child is a responsibilty. Y'gotta build it, program it, arm it, debug it, make sure it knows how to kill a Maxi', that sorta thing."  
  
"This 'love' confuses me. Yet somewhere, inside my spark, there is a longing. I'm not sure what it is. All I've known is the colony...and the Royalty..." Inferno said. "It seems so difficult!"  
  
"It's easy as shootin' a dead drone! Just do what the woman says! Don't screw this kinda thing up!" Quickstrike exclaimed. "Women are a strange breed, I tell ya. They'll turn on ya if you do one thing wrong!"  
  
"How did you become so wise?" Inferno asked.  
  
"Live an' learn. That thar Blackarachnia taught me most of what I know!" Quickstrike laughed. Inferno showed a puzzled look, and Quickstrike slapped him on the back. "You'll catch on, Blender-Butt."  
  
***  
  
Reaper examined his new body. His old head was now his chest, and his former legs were attached to his arms.  
  
"A Transformer..." Reaper mumbled. "How could I not know this?"  
  
"Your data tracks were lost in the crash."  
  
Reaper grabbed a scythe and turned around. There stood a cackling robot, spider-like and seemingly mad.  
  
"Who are you?" Reaper asked.  
  
"I am Tarantulas. Leader of the Predacon troops on this planet. I believe you are one of us."  
  
"Are you...a Transformer?"  
  
"Yes," snickered Tarantulas. "And your friend. Dinobot will lead you astray. He is a Maximal--he turned traitor and left the Predacon cause."  
  
"That was because Megatron was a foolish leader." Dinobot growled, transforming upon his arrival. He loomed over Tarantulas. "Spinning webs again, spider?"  
  
"I am merely conversing with Reaper!" Tarantulas snarled. "After all, he is one of us!"  
  
"He has no affiliation, wretch!" Dinobot cursed. "And your command of the Predacons seems rather sudden!"  
  
Tarantulas suddenly displayed a frightened look. He had slipped. He, the great Tarantulas, had slipped. Could he tell Dinobot of the revolt? Or would he lie to Reaper?  
  
"I have recently lead a revolt against Megatron. I control the Predacons, he controls the Vehicons." Tarantulas said, rather proud of himself.  
  
"I hope you have a second-in-command." Dinobot grinned, his optics lighting up. The lasers fired and tore into Tarantulas's chest, sending him staggering back.  
  
"Insolent fool!" Tarantulas hissed. He whipped out his blaster, firing away. Dinobot fell back, his chest burned with laserfire.  
  
The velociraptor grinned and grabbed his sword. He leaped to his feet, blasting with his optics.  
  
As the two exchanged gunfire, Reaper stared and contemplated his situation. Who was his friend? His enemy? Who could he trust?  
  
"When in Rome..."  
  
He grabbed his twin scythes and leaped at the two combatants, slicing into them as he passed.  
  
"AAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!" Tarantulas shrieked. Dinobot hid his pain, clutching his chest and merely whimpering.  
  
"The Reaper does not choose sides." The Fuzor snickered. With that, he dashed off, transforming and taking to the air.  
  
"The bastard!" Tarantulas yelled. "I'll kill him!"  
  
"Assuming you can kill me!" Dinobot snarled. Tarantulas cackled in reply.  
  
"Those who fight and run away live to fight another day!" Smirked the Predacon. He reverted to his vehicle mode and sped off.  
  
*They don't get to enjoy that privilage for long if they run from me.* Thought Dinobot. He growled and walked away from the battleground, cursing under his breath.  
  
***  
  
"Beautiful, Fractyl. You have built the perfect army." Megatron grinned.  
  
"If the emerald hadn't been stolen, they would have been better." Fractyl sighed. "But it gave me an excuse to enhance the old models."  
  
"Enhance?" Jetstorm asked, floating around Fractyl. "But we're PERFECT!"  
  
Megatron grabbed the joker by the throat, causing Thrust to snicker. "You are far from perfect. Your failure to destroy two mere Maximals and save the jamming station lowers my opinion of you, yehhhhs."  
  
"B-but we were ambushed!" Jetstorm stammered.  
  
"Silence!" Megatron barked, dropping Jetstorm to the floor. "Fractyl, show these fools true soldiers!"  
  
Fractyl grinned and tapped a few buttons on a nearby console. "I present to you, the newest Vehicons!"  
  
Three Cybertronian vehicles hummed to life, makeshift optics glowing.  
  
"Jetscream, afterburn!" Screeched a black jet. It transformed in a manner that mirrored Jetstorm's. The legless robot was a black duplicate of the original.  
  
"Jetscream?!" Jetstorm scoffed. "What kinda name is that?!"  
  
"Dirge, overdrive!" Shouted another, this time a black motorcycle looking almost exactly like Thrust, whose optics widened at the sight. The two, now both in robot mode, circled each other.  
  
"Blastcharge, PULVERIZE!!!" Roared the six-wheeled machine of destruction, quickly transforming. He rested on two sets of wheels, grinning at the surprised Tankorr and Scavenger.  
  
Fractyl grinned, as he watched Megatron laugh at the startled quartet of "inferior" Vehicons. "You haven't seen anything yet!" He shouted, waving for a sleek racecar to move forward.  
  
"I see you've put the last Maximal's spark to good use!" Megatron laughed.  
  
"Burnout, full gear!" Screeched Burnout. He displayed a complex transformation, and fired up his rocket launchers. A gun popped off of his head into his hand, causing Megatron to smirk.  
  
"Excellent work, Fractyl. Now we require new bodies for ourselves."  
  
Fractyl gulped. "Uhhh.... I ran out of supplies."  
  
Megatron gasped. He was vulnerable. He sulked out of the room, knowing for once he was inferior.   
  
"I am weak! I, the great Megatron, am weak! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" 


End file.
